Mad World
by Nyneve
Summary: AU. For thousands of years, the Five Races of Earth, Vampires, Werewolves, Humans, Angels, and Demons, have lived with an uneasy truce. But a war between the races is coming, and the threat global annihilation is lurks in the darkness. SMGWTMCCSMKR.
1. Default Chapter

I own nothing

Mad World

Prologue

"Earth Mother Ponders"

Earth Mother was not pleased.

When she had created the beautiful blue orb from the dust and particles of space, she was realizing the Vision that she had been carefully forming in her mind for eons.  She had watched her sisters create similar orbs from the material the Great Mother gave them.  Many left them barren and rocky, but many also gave birth to spectacular and beautiful races that would populate the orbs.  They made the orbs, the worlds, more exquisite and lovely than anything Earth Mother had ever seen, and for thousands and thousands of years she had yearned to create an orb of her own for her wonderful children to inhabit.

She did not expect those "wonderful children" to become so destructive.  She did not expect them to abuse their world, make war with each other, or abandon her.  So few were those that still looked to her for support.  She longed to help them, but she knew that the only thing that would save them would be the annihilation of her billions of wayward children.  And this she could not do.

Earth Mother thought of her eldest children, the race of vampires.  They were beautiful, powerful, wise, and immortal.  They had been the first to set foot on Earth, the first to see its plants and beasts and oceans and mountains.  And they had been grateful.  For ages they lived with each other in peace, thanking the beasts they killed for food for their sacrifice and thanking Earth Mother for being so kind to them.  But as time went by, they began to stray.  A strange darkness grew into their hearts, and soon they were no longer grateful.  They killed animals mercilessly and wastefully, taking their blood and leaving the carcass to die in torment.  Then, fearing Earth Mother's wrath, they no longer went out during the day, for they believed she would not see them in the dark of night.  Then, they simply forgot Earth Mother, and those who remembered only mocked her and paid no homage to her.

It was then Earth Mother realized that Demons had infiltrated her perfect world, like a cancer. 

At first it was only one Demon.  She was a Greater Demon called Washu, and she was the Mother of Demons.  Her strength rivaled that of Earth Mother's, for the Greater Demons are the daughters of the Great Mother that have fallen into shadow.  However, Earth Mother loved her children, even if they no longer loved her, and bestowed a curse upon Washu.  The Greater Demon lost her ability to bear young, but the curse had been too late.  Washu had already given birth to five Lesser Demons that were now bound to Earth.  The eldest was Ryoko, the Demon of Chaos.  It was she that had driven the Vampires to the wastefulness and blood hunger that left the animals of Earth tortured.  The second child was Lantis, the Demon of War. Every day, he turned the vampire clans against each other, and manipulated them into battles that claimed thousands of lives.  Third was Wufei, the Demon of Revenge.  He was the one who continued the war his brother started, by aiding the families of the dead in killing the murderers of their loved ones.  The second daughter was Dorothy, Demon of Lust.  The vampires' thirst for blood had only increased due to her interference; so much that vampires now hunted each other for nourishment, and enjoyed the sensual mind games involved with stalking the prey.  The youngest demon was Hikaru, Demon of Despair.  Though small and childlike in appearance, she was almost more deadly than all of her siblings combined.  While they drove others to death by murder, she could truly kill them merely by being in their presence.  Few survived if they caught sight of Hikaru, who extinguished every light of hope they'd ever known and drove them to suicide.

Earth Mother remembered how she had watched with sadness at the slow destruction of her planet and her children.  She knew then too that the only thing she could do to stop it would be to destroy all of the life on the orb and start over completely.  She could not bear to do it then either.  So, she planned, and a new idea came to her.  She would give birth to another race, a race of beings just a strong and wise and beautiful, but their lives would be shorter.  They would not have time to turn from her.  They would love her and each other always, and punish those who did not.  They would be her crusaders in the world.  They would be the werewolves.

At first, her plan seemed to work out well.  The werewolves did not outnumber the vampires, but they could band together and fight as one.  Though there were individual packs, they all served Earth Mother and acceded to her wishes, therefore were one people against the divided and warring clans of vampires.  But it was their mortality that brought them down.  Werewolves were not immortal, and Earth Mother soon realized that if items made of silver entered their blood, they would grow sick and die.  And while vampires could be killed by fire, decapitation, or the destruction of their hearts, they were older and wiser in the ways of the world.  They found their way into the lairs and breeding grounds of the werewolf packs, and slaughtered the young, the old, and the pregnant with blades made of silver.  But the werewolves were resilient.  Driven on by Wufei, perhaps, they took revenge on the vampires by burning the forests of the world, again killing the young, old, and others who could not fight.  Thus, with both races nearly destroyed, the vampires and the werewolves ended their open war on each other, and allowed the world to heal.

But Earth Mother was shocked at the behavior of the two races.  While the vampires had been murderous and bloodthirsty in battle, the werewolves were destructive and chaotic, and had nearly destroyed their own home in fury.  Again, she decided to give birth to a new race, the last race.  The humans would be weak, and powerless, and short lived.  But they would also be compassionate, caring, and respectful not just of Earth Mother, but of the other races and the world they lived in.  True, they would be targets to the hunting vampires and the uncontrollable werewolves, but they would be protected by Angels, beings created by Earth Mother from the same materials that the world was made of.  It would be their sole duty to protect the young, weak caretakers of the planet.

From the nine Angels she created, she chose two of them to serve her personally.  The first was Setsuna.  It was she Earth Mother entrusted with her Vision, the plan she had spent thousands of years concocting before creating Earth and her children.  Setsuna's Duty was to be sure that the Vision was realized, no matter what happened.  She was given the power to enforce the Vision, so that if the Fate of Earth ever strayed from the path, she could do anything necessary to restore it.  The second Angel Earth Mother chose was Kaho.  She would govern the tiny satellite that circled the Earth, the Moon.  She would also be Earth Mother's eyes and ears, reporting the events that took place on Earth.

Ten thousand years after Earth's creation, the population was complete.  The Five Peoples now inhabited the planet.  The Vampires, the Demons, the Werewolves, the Humans, and the Angels.   Three were Earth Mother's children, one her creation, and one her curse.  Life was peaceful for the following millennia, but the humans too were beginning to fail her.  They lost their care for the earth, and became much like the vampires in seeking to use it only to achieve their own ends.  Most forgot Earth Mother, and began to fear and hate the vampires and werewolves, but because they were so weak, they did not make war with either of them and eventually forgot about them.  Of course, this made it much easier for vampires to hunt, but the humans, in their simplicity, shrugged off the bodies of their dead as "just another murder".  They made war amongst themselves, but thanks to the help of the Angels, the casualties were thousandths of the Great War between the vampires and werewolves.

However, small bands of humans did remain loyal to Earth Mother, and continued to revere her and their home.  Touched by their actions, Earth Mother rewarded these humans with power and longevity.  The powers given to them would stem from the Earth, so they would not seek to abuse them lest they lose them all together.  And though they lived long lives, they were not immortal, and could die like any other human.  They called themselves witches, and sought not only to protect the Earth but also to make peace between the races.  Unfortunately, they were also very secretive and had a great deal of pride, and for this, the other races did not trust them.  The humans even went so far as to persecute them and destroy them.  Luckily, the witches were able to protect themselves, and focused on bringing peace between the vampires and werewolves.

For thousands of years, the world had been like this.  The vampires remained rebellious and taunting, the werewolves were often sober one moment and in caught in a religious mania the next, and the humans just wandered around trying not to get killed.  And what had it gotten them?  The clans and packs of the elder races constantly fought, though never again had the entire races united to fight the other.  The humans were fodder for the vampires and nuisances to the werewolves, and ruined the Earth in their curiosity and attempts at progress.  The witches tried their best to help, but the world was against them and their numbers were small.  And the Demons were always present somewhere, wreaking havoc amongst the beings.

So now Earth Mother pondered.  She did not know what it was she should do.  War again was imminent, despite Setsuna's efforts to keep the Fate of Earth on track.  And even now, almost nine thousand years since the Great War that had all but destroyed the world, the Earth was still healing.  Earth Mother knew that if the races united again, and if they were backed by the united powers of the Five Demons, the planet would not survive.  Nothing would survive.

She considered praying to the Great Mother, the galaxy that had sheltered her and her million sisters for eons.  She also considered praying to the Mother of All, the universe.  But it was selfish to think either of them should help her, a small, insignificant being incapable of creating a peaceful world.  No, it would be vain to even think of asking for their help, and she was shamed that she had even thought of it.  There was no point in asking any of her sisters.  Even if they'd agree to leave their worlds, which was very unlikely, there would be little they could do.  They were no more powerful than she was, though perhaps they were wise.

Earth Mother wondered if Hikaru was nearby, so great was her despair.  The races she'd mothered had been nothing that she expected, but she loved them all the same.  She loved them just as much as she loved the Earth, and the Moon, and the Angels, and all the animals and plants that inhabited it all.  In a way, she even loved the Five Demons, for they had been present on the Earth almost as long as the vampires, and though they were loathsome creatures, they provided a sense of continuity, of dependence.  They were bound to the world, and as long as it existed, they would be there.

It was the reminder of her love that gave Earth Mother strength.  She loved the world she'd created too much to let it all slip away into destruction.  There were no questions in her mind now; she _would_ save them all.  They would not thank her for it, and they most likely wouldn't even acknowledge their salvation.  But it did not matter to her.  Her love for them all was enough to rebuild her determination.  And it was enough to give her the idea.

She was still lost as to how to save her world.  But she _did_ know how she could think of a way.  Kaho had always been faithful in delivering information on the events taking place on Earth.  However, that was no substitution for actually _living_ them.  If she could walk the streets of the cities, meet with the people of all the races, and understand exactly what it was that caused the hatred between them all, then she could find a way to save them.

There was no way she could go in her true form, because she did not have a body.  She was a consciousness; a being that circled the Earth and protected it from intruders.  No, in order to actually go _to_ the planet, she would have to assume the form of one of her races.  But which?  Certainly not a vampire.  She could not bear to kill any of her children, even if it was to survive.  Likewise, she ruled out a werewolf as well.  Although they rarely killed humans on purpose, they did tend to disregard them and turned their hatred towards the vampires.  Therefore, she would have to be a human.  If any caught scent of her power, they'd assume she was a witch.  Yes, a human it was.

She focused in on Earth.  She visualized a sandy beach, one of the things she'd first thought of when conceiving the planet.  Then, she began to create an image of herself.  A young woman in her early twenties, with long black hair tied up in a ponytail and soft brown eyes.  Pale skin, and a curvaceous build.  She clothed herself in a beige sweatshirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers, garments Kaho had described to her.  Then she willed herself into the body.

Blinking she looked around.  So this was what it was to live in a body.  She moved her limbs experimentally, then looked over into the water at her face.  Pretty enough, but not so beautiful as to stand out.  She smiled.  Ah, lovely.

Slowly, she walked up the beach to a large, empty parking lot.  Autumn was not a very popular time to go to the beach, it seemed, with the cool breezes and frequent rains.  Earth Mother tried to remember what a car looked like, then remembered.  Concentrating hard, she constructed a strange silver vehicle called a Matrix.  It was one of her favorites from the images that Kaho had shown her.  She wondered if she would come across Kaho or Setsuna while on Earth; they frequently walked as humans in order to study the world.

Climbing into the driver's seat, Earth Mother realized she would need to think up a history for herself.  Humans were always so curious, and any she'd meet would undoubtedly like to know about her.  Well, she would drive for a while and see what city she came to.  Plenty of time to make up a story about herself.  But she would need a name.

She smiled as she thought of one.

Achika.

Author's Note:

This is only a trial fic.  Depending on the responses I get with this, I may or may not continue it.  This is my first major AU crossover, so it's really just an experiment.  But if people get really insistent, I'll update it.

-N


	2. Episode 1

I Own Nothing.

Mad World

_Preface: Midnight, the West End_

            Rain poured outside the townhouse in Antioch City.  Bad weather was common on the cross-shaped manmade island of Antioch, but the storm was particularly bad tonight.  It was hard to tell what was louder, the sound of the raindrops hammering on the roof and street outside, the sound of the thunder rattling the windows, or the sound of the waves crashing against the breakwater less than a mile away.

            Inside the townhouse, however, it was calmer and a little more peaceful.  The resident, a young man in his early twenties named Touya Kinomoto was listening to Chopin preludes and reading a book of spellcraft dealing in his particular area, psychic energies.  His mahogany eyes were focused on the page in front of him, as he brushed his dark brown hair out of his face.  The light reflected gently off his tan skin, though every now and then they flickered threateningly and caused him to look up and around.  But the electricity held, and he took another sip of tea and returned to his book.

            But as he did so, he felt a strong aura approaching him, emanating powerful emotions of fear, anxiety, disgust, and loss.  He wondered if there had been an accident outside on the slippery streets, or if he was just feeling some lost child afraid of the storm.  However, the sheer strength of the aura amazed him.  It radiated a strange sort of heat, almost like that of someone with a Fire Gift, but it was warped, altered.

            Thunder crashed even louder, and this time the lights failed and sputtered out, bringing him out of his reverie.  Cursing, he stumbled to the kitchen and found a flashlight.  Digging his way through the drawers, he managed to locate a few candles and the battery-powered lantern he kept in the coat closet.  He lit them all, and placed them strategically around the kitchen and living room area.  Finally, he settled down to read again, but he could feel the presence closer than ever.

            It was looking for him, calling for his help.

            Touya paused to think a moment.  Under normal circumstances, he'd assume it was a member of his coven.  But none of them had the kind of power this being was showing.  Hell, he didn't even _know_ of anyone, witch, vamp, or were, that had this kind of power.  And yet, it did seem familiar.

            Muttering to himself about his bleeding heart, he went to his bedroom and grabbed an automatic handgun and a large silver knife.  Pulling his raincoat on over his jeans and sweater, he shoved his feet into his running shoes near the door and stepped outside.

            It was pouring, and bitter cold.  His breath formed in hot little clouds in front of his mouth and nose as he looked and probed for the one searching for him.  There was no one he could see visibly; the streetlights had gone out with the electricity.  But he could feel someone close.  At the bottom of the steps, leaning heavily on the railing.  Slowly, he stepped down them.

            "Touya…"

            He blinked in surprise as a thin, cold body fell into his arms.  It was a girl four or five years younger than him, with long raven black hair and piercing violet eyes.  She was dressed in a low cut blouse and miniskirt under a long black coat blowing free in the wind.  She turned her pale face up to him, a look of fear and relief twisting her features.

            "Rei?" he asked, surprised.  The Fire Witch from his coven had not been his first guess at his stalker.  But there was no doubt now that this was the one who'd been looking for him.  "What the hell happened to you?" he lifted her up gently and carried her inside.

            Once he'd laid her down on the couch, she stared at him, violet eyes wide, and uttered a single word.

            "Shinigami…"

            He froze and stared hard as she pulled her hair away from the side of her neck.

            Marring her ivory skin were two tiny, black holes.

Episode 1:

The Lament

_Scene 1:  Earlier that day, Antioch Secondary School_

            As the final bell for the day rang, the students leaped from their desks and dashed towards the door.  After stopping at her locker, an energetic ninth grade girl dashed down the hallways, dodging students and teachers alike as she made her way towards the door.  It seemed nothing could stop the feisty redhead, until someone called her name.

            "Sakura!  Hey, Sakura, hold up!"

            Sakura Kino spun around to see who it was that had called her, when a younger girl with long blue pigtails and ruby red eyes emerged from the crowd.

            "Oh, hey Sasami.  What's up?" she asked, green eyes darting up to the clock on the wall.

            "I know you're in a hurry so I'll make it quick," Sasami Makibi said.  "You know that biology test you were helping me study for?  I didn't do so great, and I was hoping you would tutor me again over the weekend."

            Sakura smiled.  Sasami was a year younger than her, and she frequently tutored her in science and Latin, in exchange for Sasami's help in math and history.

            "Yeah, no problem.  Saturday okay with you?" she suggested.

            "That'd be great.  You can come to my house, my aunt's going to be working late again, so I'll cook dinner for you if you like," Sasami offered.  Besides being a good math and history student, Sasami was a great cook, with skills rivaling those of Sakura's older sister, Makoto.

            "Okay then, I'll show up around four.  See you then Sasami-chan!" Sakura waved, then continued to her run down the hallway.  When she finally made it outside, her eyes scanned the crowd of departing students.  It was hard to pick out an individual amongst the throng, but even when they all dispersed, she didn't see him.

            Sighing sadly, she turned in the direction towards home then began to walk.  She had only gone about ten feet when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

            "Leaving without me?"

            She spun around and smiled.  "Syaoran…I thought you'd left without me."

            Syaoran Li smirked, amber eyes sparkling beneath his curtain of auburn hair.  "I got held up in physics.  Meiling wanted to talk to me."

            "Oh," Sakura's face fell as she glanced at Syaoran's left shoulder, and imagined the ugly scar that lurked between the gray and maroon of his school uniform.

            Syaoran didn't look at her, and cursed himself for mentioning Meiling.  It wasn't that Sakura didn't like her, but it was obvious that the reverse wasn't true.  His cousin had nothing but antipathy for the girl, especially not since...

            "Syaoran?" Sakura asked softly.

            "Mm?" he replied.

            "Do you ever regret what I did?  That I made you what you are?" she murmured.

            "You mean, do I wish you hadn't made me a werewolf?" Syaoran simplified, then shook his head.  "No.  Before you did, I didn't have anybody.  Now I have the pack.  And you."

            "You had Meiling, and her coven," Sakura pointed out.

            "I'm not a witch, Sakura.  I don't belong with them.  You have no clue what it was like all those years they let me live with them.  I was welcomed out of pity, not love or respect," he commented sharply.

            She shook her head.  "Sorry.  I'm sorry I brought it up."

            Syaoran stopped and studied her closely.  Sakura had been born a werewolf.  After her parents had been killed in a battle against the island's band of vampires, her older brother and sister had become the alphas of the pack.  And besides them, there was also Presea, the young artist who'd gladly taken him in after Sakura accidentally scratched him, Haruka, a dour, antisocial college student, and Ferio, the good natured but sometimes reckless high school senior who lived in the apartment below Sakura.  It had amazed him how close they all were, but as he grew into his wolf instincts and began to learn about the great spirit known as Earth Mother, he understood the bonds of love and loyalty between all werewolves that were especially strong in packs.  In this pack, in particular.

            "It's okay," he said finally, then put an arm around her shoulder.  "But don't ever feel bad about it, okay?  Trust me, this is the best thing you've ever done for me."

            "Aw…you guys are so cute!"

            The two students looked over to see a black Mustang convertible parked along the street.  A pretty older girl with long brown hair and Sakura's bright green eyes sat in the driver's seat.

            "Oh shut up, Mako," Sakura muttered.  "What do you want?"

            "Hop in, both of you," Makoto said.  "I'll explain it on the way."

            The two looked at each other and climbed into the cramped backseat of the car.

            "You seriously need to get a bigger car, Makoto," Syaoran commented.

            Makoto glared at him from the rearview mirror.  "Hey kid, it's not like I plan on being your chauffer for the rest of my life."

            "Knock it off, both of you," Sakura snapped.  "Now seriously, what's going on Mako?"

            "Hunt tonight.  Seniors only though.  Syaoran, you're gonna crash at our place for the night.  We want you two together, just in case," she explained.

            Her sister rolled her eyes.  "Oh come _on_ Mako-chan!  This is the third "seniors only" hunt you guys have done!  When are you going to let us help you?"

            "Look, I don't make the rules, I just enforce 'em.  And anyways, it's a school night," she replied.

            "But you and Ferio are going," Sakura pointed out.

            "Yeah, but we're not failing algebra," Makoto smirked.  "And anyways, we're thinking we might be able to get at the Big Three tonight."

            The car was silent.  The "Big Three" were Duo Maxwell, Heero Yuy, and Hotaru Tomoe, the deadliest members of the local vampire clan led by Duo, who called himself "Shinigami".  It was these three vampires that had killed the last alphas of the pack, and Makoto in particular wanted nothing more than to rip their hearts out, burn them into ashes, then toss them into the sea.  She had always been particularly close to her mother, and she would never forgive them for taking her away.

            "So you're going to the East End," Syaoran said.  The East End of the island was the haunt for vampires, while the werewolves stayed in the North End, the witches in the West End, and the humans in the South End and scattered throughout the rest of the island.

            "Mm-hm.  That's another reason why we don't want you two down there.  It's one thing to hunt down the leeches in our territory, but they've got the home field advantage this time.  Don't get me wrong, you two are good fighters, but we're not 100% sure that even _we_ are all going to get out tonight," Makoto finished as she parked the Mustang in the apartment building's underground garage.

            As they got in the elevator and pressed the button, Sakura looked up at her sister.  "You _will_ all come back, Mako-chan," she said softly.  "I know you will."

            Makoto smiled and ruffled the younger girl's hair.  "I hope you're right, kid.  I hope you're right."

_Scene 2:  That Evening, The Temple of the Earth_

            "Finally!  A night off!" Minako Aino grinned as she and her fellow students made their way back to the girl's dormitory of the Temple.  Her long blond hair blew free in the breeze, and her cornflower blue eyes held a mischievous look.

            Usagi Tsukino shared her friend's joy.  "Yeah.  Mother knows how long it's been since we haven't had either homework or practice or religion for a night."  She looked a great deal like Minako, though her hair was longer, darker, and tied into two long ponytails.

            Umi Ryuuzaki looked thoughtfully at the Illusion and Light Witches beside her and brushed back a strand of long sky blue hair.  "You know…we should take this opportunity to have a little fun for ourselves."

            "Oh?  What kind of fun?" Minako asked, raising her eyebrows.

            Umi smiled.  "Lucifer's."

            The blond girls looked at her.  Umi had a Water Gift, and had a tendency to be a little unpredictable.  But Lucifer's was very close to vampire hunting grounds, and none of the three Adept witches was really confident enough in their ability to deal with vampires.  That sort of thing was left to the Specialist witches, Noin, Ayeka, and Touya, or the Master, Clef.  Then again, it _was_ supposed to be a great club…

            "I'm in if you three are," another voice replied.  The three girls looked back to see Rei Hino towards them.  She was a year ahead of them, and was considered one of the best Fire Witches in the history of the coven.  A year ahead of them in school, Rei was not one to associate with the younger witches, but she held the unwavering admiration of the Adepts and Novices.

            "You serious Rei-chan?" Usagi blinked in surprise.

            A light smile spread across Rei's face.  "Why not?  We're supposed to be the intermediaries between the races, so shouldn't we spend time mingling amongst them?"

            "She has a point," Minako commented.

            "Come on, who knows when we'll get another chance like this?" Umi added.  _To go out **or** hang with Rei _she thought.

            "Hm.  Okay, I'm in," Minako replied.

            "Me too," Usagi agreed.

            "Cool.  There's an 8:00 train that goes to Goethe Avenue.  We'll meet at the station at ten to, all right?" Umi said, looking to her friends.

            "Okay!  Come on, Mina-chan, we've gotta find something to wear!" Usagi cried, latching onto her arm and dragging her into the dormitory.  Umi and Rei followed suit.

_Scene 3:  8:30 PM, the Penthouse at the Vladimir_

            As the sky grew dark outside, a young man stood at the window and watched the lights of the island blink on one by one.  From the top of the hotel, he could see the entire cross of the island, even to the old lighthouse at the quiet, almost rural South End.  He smiled to himself and ran his tongue over his fangs.  Someday he would take his two closest friends with him and hunt at the South End.  Who knew what sort of prey he'd run across there?

            "Are you going out tonight?" a soft voice asked.

            He turned to see a young girl, perhaps fifteen, with pale skin, large gray eyes, and long black hair standing beside him.  He shrugged.

            "Maybe.  Care to join me, Tomoyo?" he offered.  Tomoyo Daidouji was one of the younger members of his clan.  She had been turned only about a year ago by Eriol Hiragizawa, another young vampire, and was yet to build up the confidence and skills to hunt just for fun, as he enjoyed doing.  However, she was calm and loyal, and often insightful when it came to the relations between the clan members, and he enjoyed her company, though not nearly as much as others'.

            "No thank you.  We do not exactly share the same tastes, Duo," she replied.

            He let out a small laugh and patted her head.  She was not one to mince words, another quality he liked in her.  But it was true; he enjoyed seducing beautiful young girls then feeding off of the blood they willingly gave, while Tomoyo simply wandered around until she found a child or other weak human and attacked, most of the time leaving her victims dead rather than dazed and confused.  It was no wonder she was known among the werewolves as the Devil's Daughter.

            "Hm.  I suppose I'll have to go alone then," Duo answered.  He would've preferred that Heero Yuy or Hotaru Tomoe had gone with him, but both enjoyed hunting the alleys of the inner city and the dangerous wooded parks of the North End to the Goth vampire wannabes that frequented the East End.  The two had been the first victims he'd ever turned, and he loved and trusted them above all other members of his clan.  But alas, they had left for the evening quite some time ago.  Contrary to popular belief, vampires do _not_ burn up in the sun.  However, it is far more conspicuous when they are seen by normal humans in daylight rather than to be spotted by a few twisted nightwalkers after dark.  Both Hotaru and Heero passed off as humans quite well, and often left to hunt at sunset.  However Duo, with his long brown braid and luminous violet eyes, was far more noticeable and questionable.  Therefore, he usually waited until after dark to wander through his territory.

            Duo's clan was the only one existing on the island, though there were smaller groups and individual vampires scattered around the East End.   The last large family of vampires had been destroyed seventy years ago during several street skirmishes over the rights to hunting grounds and prey.  Similar fates had fallen upon the vampires' enemies as well.  There was only one pack of werewolves in the North End, though there was a rumor as to a pair of renegades that lived in the South End.  Most of the "dogs" as they were dubbed, had been killed one by one through the years, and those that lived joined the few surviving packs until a single one was left.  Likewise, there was a single coven of witches in the West End, but there were other witches that lived and worked individually scattered amongst the humans.  The single witches were deemed "unclean", meaning that they had allowed their power to be corrupted by mixing blood with any of the other races.

            He couldn't help but smile at the pure hypocrisy of witches.  They were sworn to accept all other races as part of the world, but if one of their own no longer fit their image of perfection, he or she would be driven from the coven and left vulnerable.  Through the years, he had encountered several unclean witches, but it was always a secret desire of his to actually _make_ one unclean.  To find a witch free from her coven and to take her.  And not only did he want to just take the blood and power from her, but he wanted to turn her, an act forbidden amongst all vampires, for only humans were considered "safe" enough to make into vampires.

            But Duo always was one to break the rules.

            That was why he needed to hunt, because at that very moment, there was not one, but _four_ clean witches in his territory, and he was determined to have at least one, if not all, for himself.

_Scene 4:  9:00 PM, Lupine Park_

            The entire pack of wolves had gathered in the park three blocks from the Kino's apartment building.  Though there had been a loud argument an hour ago about it, Sakura and Syaoran had joined them in order to pray to Earth Mother and conduct the rites to ensure a safe hunt.

            It was a ten mile run to the East End, but the strength of the wolves had never faltered once, and Ferio swore that he could run the entire length of the island and back, thirty miles, in less than two hours.

            With the exception of the two younger pack members, they had clothed themselves light and ready for a standing battle if necessary.  Though they all preferred to fight as wolves, it was actually easier to kill vampires in a human form, because then weapons could be accessed much easier.

            Makoto was dressed entirely in black, and had several throwing knives stowed in her belt.  Of everyone in the pack, Sakura liked Makoto's fighting style the best.  It was a combination of kung fu and American street fighting tactics, and her opponents always left with several pints of blood missing.

            Her older brother, Trowa, fought differently.  He was four inches taller and three years older than Makoto, though he had the same brown hair that fell over one of his green eyes, and was a talented gymnast.  Rather than fight with his hands, he had two handguns hidden in his gray jacket that worked well for fighting in both close and distant ranges.  Besides the jacket, he too was dressed in a pitch black turtleneck and pants.

            When first looking at Presea, the oldest member of the pack and a semi-famous sculptor, none would guess her to be much of a fighter.  However, the blond, bronze-eyed woman practiced an almost ethereal style of martial arts.  Oftentimes, she appeared to be dancing with her eyes closed to some silent melody, but the blows she dealt to her enemies were quick, painful, and frequently deadly.  Rather than being dressed in black, she wore a tight white tank top and a pair of khaki shorts with brown ankle boots.  The optimistic Presea claimed she owned nothing black, and that the outfit would allow for better movement anyways.

            Both Haruka and Ferio were experienced swordfighters.  However, Ferio's style was greatly different from Haruka's.  He wielded a large curved broadsword with powerful sweeps that rarely failed to remove a body part of an opponent.  His jacket and pants were both camouflaged, and his green hair was tied back in a short ponytail.  The scars on his face were faint, dulled by the battle anxiety glowing in his orange eyes.

            Unlike Ferio, Haruka's style of fighting consisted of more pain than damage for her adversaries.  Her blade was a small, light saber that dealt light, whip-like blows that set fire to the nerves they split.  The others frequently accused her of being the sadist, but she didn't seem to care.  Strangely, the part she seemed to enjoy most of all was when her enemies realized she was not the handsome young man she appeared to be, but in fact a woman.  Then she would toss her short sandy blond hair and her normally dull blue eyes would turn steely, and she would laugh, sounding like the wolf she was.  Her uniform was a navy windbreaker over a tight gray t-shirt and matching navy track pants.

            Now, the seven wolves were gathered in the deserted park, standing in a circle and silently praying to the Earth Mother.  Presea, as the eldest, would begin the rights as soon as they'd finished.  When the bowed heads were raised, she drew a small ornamental knife from her pocket.

            "Earth Mother, please accept this sacrifice of our pack.  We pray You will protect us on this night when we venture into the darkness to punish those who have sinned against You and Your children," she said clearly, taking the knife and pressing the edge into the palm of her right hand.

            She then passed the knife to Trowa, who spoke.  "Mother, please give us the strength to fight for You."  Then he too, cut his palm and passed it to Makoto.

            "Mother, please watch over Your children Sakura and Syaoran, who cannot join us on this night.  Protect them from evil and hold them in Your embrace should they be afraid," she said, slashing her palm and passing it on.

            "Mother, keep us unseen by dangerous eyes tonight as we journey to the battlefield, and cover our fight in Your shadow so that human sight will not view it," Ferio said, his voice somber for once, as he sacrificed himself.

            "Mother, aid us should our numbers grow few, and should we leave this world for good, please guide us safely into Your arms," Haruka said ominously.  She was about to hand the knife back to Presea, when Sakura took it.  She blinked in surprise; sacrifice was only traditionally given by those about to hunt.  It was unnecessary for Sakura to give blood to the Earth Mother.

            "Earth Mother, please bring our pack home safe to us tonight.  No matter what cost it may be to us, please bring them all back to us safe and sound," she said softly, as she too pressed the knife to her hand.  Her siblings and the other pack members watched her with respect and awe, and their looks increased when she handed the knife to Syaoran.

            "Mother, keep us all safe this night.  Give us courage and lend us Your spirit so that we may all grow and continue to love You and each other for as long as we all live," he finished, cutting his palm and returning the knife to Presea.

            She nodded in approval to the youngest members of the pack, then looked out at the rest as they spoke in unison.

            "Mother, please accept this sacrifice of our love and life so that You may answer our prayers."

            Then they simultaneously turned their palms downwards and let the blood drip from their palms into the cool, dew covered grass.  When they had finished, the five senior pack members had shifted into their wolf forms.  Trowa and Makoto were both large red wolves, just as Sakura was when in her wolf form.  Ferio was black as the sky above them, while Presea was snow white.  Haruka was long and lithe and gray, and looked ready to kill the next thing that moved.

            Sakura knelt down and hugged them all, using her spirit voice to wish them good luck.

            _Don't worry, Sakura-chan,_ Ferio replied, licking her hand reassuringly.  _After all, you're always saying "Everything will be all right."_

_            But please be careful anyways, Ferio-sempai,_ Sakura answered as the five wolves vanished into the darkness.

_Scene 5:  10:13 PM, Lucifer's_

            The four witches stepped out of the nightclub into the cool air.  The last two hours hadn't really been what they'd expected.  The place was crawling with vamps and humans who looked like vamps and no body seemed that friendly, save for the one guy who'd tried to talk Minako into going home with him.  But the music was good, and it seemed pretty safe overall, just not welcoming.  Even Rei seemed disappointed, and had spent most of the time nursing her Bloody Mary at the bar.  So no one minded too much when Usagi pointed out that they'd better leave if they wanted to get back to the Temple before the 11:00 curfew.

            Now the four Adepts were walking down the deserted street back towards the train station.  If they girls had been human, most likely they'd have been attacked by one or more vampires by now.  But the auras of their powers were strong, and they were well aware of the ancient code that bound vampires to feast on humans alone.

            "Well, I gotta say, Umi-chan.  You could've picked a better place for us to spend our free night in," Usagi complained.

            Umi shrugged.  "Hey, I've never done dealings with vamps before.  How was I supposed to know they have lame clubs?"

            _Lame? _Duo mused as he watched them from the shadows.  _Well, Lucifer's **is**__run by a mainlander.  _He had tracked the witches' auras to the club, where he had tried to lure the Illusion Witch, but to no avail.  Now, as he saw all four of them, he was carefully choosing his victim.

            The Illusion Witch had been his first choice because of the midriff-baring halter top and dangerously low cut pants she had warn.  Also, you'd think from the way she'd danced in the club she would've killed for the opportunity to submit to him.  But no.  She'd blatantly refused, and he knew it was not a good idea to get on the bad side of someone who has the power to make you see things that weren't real, even if she was only an Adept.

            He had ruled out the Light Witch from the beginning.  Though she was the prime example of purity and innocence he was longing to taint, she appeared to be the youngest and weakest of the group.  No doubt if he made a move towards her the other three would go at him in a second.  And though he was the strongest vampire on the island, he was not sure he could defeat a combined attack from three trained Fire, Water, and Illusion witches.

            Now it was down to the Water and Fire Witches.  The Water one was certainly beautiful and was wearing almost as little as the Illusion one.  Her power was strong, but nowhere near strong enough to stop him.  Probing into her mind, he found her name was Umi Ryuuzaki, and it had been her plan to bring the girls out to the East End tonight.  No doubt if they were attacked her guilt if not her conscience would drive her to protecting them while telling them to run.   Then he would be free to take her and turn her and make her his own.

            Duo was about ready to go for her when he caught sight of the last witch.  She was a little older, a little darker, and a great deal more powerful than the other three.  Looking at her, she reminded him of his beloved Hotaru, though her hair was longer and her eyes more violet than indigo.  But Hotaru did not have the spirit or the fire that this witch had, and his desire for her absolutely consumed him.  Rei Hino, her name was, and no doubt her reaction to an attack would be the same as Umi's.  She would put up more of a fight, of course, but still, she would lose.  Even a Specialist in witchcraft wouldn't be able to defeat him.

            Smiling, he watched as they entered the train station.  Glancing at the clock on the wall, he was happy to see the train back to the West End would not arrive for another ten minutes.  And he could easily have Rei in five.

            As the girls sat down on the bench to wait, Umi looked around boredly and yawned.  "We're gonna be crap in the morning."

            "Oh well.  Maybe Ayeka-san can give us something to help," Usagi suggested.

            "Nah, you know her.  Unless you're dying, she's content to let you suffer," Minako said.  "There was this one time…oh Mother, not again."

            The guy who'd approached her at Lucifer's was standing near the wall, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  He slowly moved forwards.

            "Evening ladies," he greeted, the wind ruffling his long black coat.

            "Look, I told you at the club, I don't want—" Minako began.

            Duo's gaze hardened as he stared at her.  "This doesn't have anything to do with you, lady.  Not anymore anyways.  Rei Hino?"

            Rei narrowed her eyes and slowly rose.  "What?  How do you know my name?"

            "You're one of the best, we know your name down here.  Hell, the whole damn _island _knows your name," he replied.

            A small spark of flame appeared on Rei's fingertip.  "Not the answer I was looking for, psycho…"

            "Rei-chan no!" Usagi cried, putting a hand on her wrist.  She whispered in her ear.  "We're supposed to be welcoming to other races, remember?"

            "Other races my ass.  I don't have to be welcoming to a stalker," she snapped.

            "Rei, stop it," Umi ordered.  "The train'll be here any minute."

            Suddenly, Duo pivoted and threw Umi over the edge of the platform onto the track.

            "UMI-CHAN!" Usagi screeched, running to the edge and jumping down to help her.

            "That's it.  You're going down you son of a bitch!" Rei snarled.  The spark on her fingertip grew until it was a watermelon sized ball of fire then flew forwards towards the vampire.

            However, he darted quickly out of the way and lunged for her.  Just as he was about to get his hands on her neck, however, she shimmered and vanished.

            _Damn…the Illusion whore…_ he remembered.  Sure enough, there stood Minako, shielding Rei as she too disappeared over the edge of the platform.  She cupped her hands and twisted them so her palms faced him, and suddenly there were several hundred copies of her standing in a line along the edge of the platform.

            Snarling like a wild man, he lunged for one of the illusions, which shimmered and vanished like the false Rei had.  He nearly fell over the edge of the platform, but caught himself and leaned backwards.  Dashing through the line of witches, he glanced at the platform across the track and saw that the Light Witch was pulling the injured Water Witched up onto the platform, and that the Illusion and Fire Witches were scrambling up the ten foot wall.

            He jumped off the platform and across the track, throwing himself against Rei and pulling her down to the track.

            "Rei!" Minako screamed, but her cry was suddenly punctuated by the sound of a train.  Eyes widening, she shoved the unconscious Umi upwards onto the platform and scrambled up herself.

            Meanwhile, Duo had his hands around Rei's waist and pitched her up onto the other platform, then leapt up after her just as the train started speeding through the station.  Before she could run away, he pounced on her and held her to his chest.

            Smiling evilly, he held her chin up with one hand and pressed her close to him with the other.  "This'll only hurt a bit, dear."

            Rei tried to summon her power, but before she could free her hands she felt his fangs pierce her neck.  Screaming in pain, she tried to pull away but every second she grew weaker and he grew stronger.  She felt everything growing dark, felt the fire of her soul going out.  There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her.  She would die from all the blood he was taking from her.

            "No, my dear.  Not yet.  No death yet," he whispered as he released her chin.  She stared dully at him, too weak to do anything but watch as he bit down on his wrist.

            "Drink," he ordered, pressing his wrist to her lips.

            _No!  Don't!_ she tried to tell herself, but she couldn't help it.  The blood flowing into her mouth was sweet and rich and life giving.  She drank deeply, feeling the lost strength coming back.  The fire was slowly rekindling.

            Then all of a sudden, she heard the vampire curse as the haunting sound of wolf howls pierced through the station.  He pulled his wrist from her and stared at her.

            "Listen to me, Rei.  I _will_ come back for you, or I am not the one called Shinigami," he said, then pressed his lips to hers and kissed her hard.

            When he pulled away, Rei put her hand to her mouth gently, confused at his action.  But then she felt her teeth, felt the fangs that had only minutes ago been normal incisors, and the disgust and horror at his act rushed over her like a tidal wave.

            "You…BASTARD!" she screamed, and lunged for him.  However, she was cut off by two werewolves, a red and a black, that had appeared on the platform and were now viciously attacking Shinigami.  He shoved them off, and yelled as they shifted into a girl with knives and a boy with a sword.

            "Run Rei!" Shinigami called as he drew a sword of his own and easily held off both werewolves.

            Rei glared at him, then put her hand palm out to him and threw a large ball of fire at him.  "This is not over!" she screeched, then turned and red.

            She did not notice that the flaming orb she had released was black.

            When she stumbled out into the streets, she noticed it was starting to rain.  There was no sign of Usagi or the others, but the sound of werewolves was everywhere.  Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have mattered.  Werewolves and witches respected each other for their common worship of the Earth Mother.  But werewolves were notorious for loathing vampires, and now that she was…

            "Oh Mother…" she whispered, falling to her knees.  Tears streamed down her face.  "Oh Mother…Mother…Mother…"

            In one instant, everything she had ever known and loved was lost to her.  She had ceased to be clean when the vampire had drunk her blood.  She had ceased to be a witch when she drank his.  She could never return to the coven, could never associate with her friends, could never even walk freely through the West End.  And now, she felt thirst like she'd never felt before.  A seemingly insatiable thirst for blood.

            Very well then.  She could die of thirst.  End this nightmare.  Wait here in the streets until a merciless werewolf came and ripped out her heart.  But would that truly kill her?  She did not know.  But the despair of it all was overwhelming.

            Of course, the pink-haired girl watching from the alleyway made sure of that.

            Slowly, Rei got to her feet.  She would have to feed.  Then she could figure out what to do.  She walked through the streets, no longer noticing the sound of the werewolves.  The bloodlust was quickly consuming her consciousness.  So when she saw the young couple dressed in gothic clothing getting into their car, she did not hesitate to tackle the woman and bite into her neck, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of her life force.  And when her heart ceased to beat, she went for her boyfriend who was pressed against the car in shock.  It was only when he too lay dead at her feet was she able to think clearly again.

            She was horrified at the sight of the dead bodies before her.  _She _had killed them?  It was like she had been dreaming in fast forward at the time.  But there was no question.  There were the marks from her fangs on their necks.  Disgusted by the sight of them, she summoned her fire and put a hand on each of their foreheads.  Immediately the two dead bodies burst into flame, and she forced herself to watch them burn until there was nothing left but cinders.  It was her self-induced punishment for allowing all of this to happen.

            But what now?  The vampire Shinigami had said he'd be back for her, but the last thing she wanted was to join him.  And who knew?  Maybe he'd been killed by the weres.  But she hoped not.  She wanted to do that herself.

First though, she would need to find a safe place for the night.  The coven was off limits.  However, the three Specialists, the Sky Witch Noin, the Healing Witch Ayeka, and the Mind Witch Touya, all lived in residences outside of the Temple, where Clef was Master.  Could they be trusted?  Ayeka, definitely not.  Though she was supposed to be a healer, Ayeka had zero tolerance for unclean witches, and an idea as alien as a vampire witch would seem abominable to her.  Noin might take pity on her, but she too would refuse to help her.  But Touya…

Rei blushed slightly at the thought of him.  When she had first come to the Temple when she was a seven-year-old Novice, she had been quite taken with the darkly handsome young man who had just risen in his rank to Adept.  He had been her mentor and helper, and as she grew older, she even fell in love with him.  However, she had never dared to act on her feelings, because at that point Touya was a Specialist and was totally committed to his power.  He would never return anything for her that deeply.  Then again, he did have the power to read minds, and she secretly hoped he'd realized how she really felt about him.     

And now, Touya too was forbidden to her.  The thought made her heart break.  But he could be trusted to keep her for one night, just one night, while she planned out everything she needed to do in order to survive.

She took a deep breath and turned west.  His townhouse was just on the interior of the west end.  It would be a long walk, but now that she was a vampire, she could run as long as necessary in order to survive.

_Epilogue:  Midnight, the West End_

            "So you'll have to leave the island then," Touya said softly as he looked at Rei.  She was sitting up straight on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands.  Apparently, she still liked to drink mortal beverages.

            "I'd rather not," she answered, glancing up to meet his eyes.  "As long as I stay away from the Temple…"

            "Don't be so sure," he replied.  "You're not just unclean now, Rei.  You're a whole new breed.  Who knows?  Maybe even Clef will _want _you to stay."

            "Doesn't matter if he does or doesn't," Rei commented.  "It's against the code.  Only pure witches can be admitted to a coven.  And I refuse to be taken in out of pity."

            _Even now, she has to preserve her pride_ Touya observed as she took another drink.  "I guess you're right.  But who's to say he won't want to hunt you down?"

            Her head snapped up.  "Hunt me?"

            "Like I said before, you're a whole new breed.  If you're a danger to the coven or to other humans…"

            "But I'm not!  They don't hunt other vampires, and anyways, what about the whole "accept other races" thing?" Rei cried.

            "I don't know Rei.  I just don't know," he said, then rose and touched her shoulder.  "But if they do hunt you, they won't be the only ones."

            "Shinigami," she said again, this time her voice filled with hatred and fury.  "I will make him pay."

            "You should let the werewolves do that," Touya commented.  "The best thing for you to do is to go to the mainland and live as best as you can there.  Hopefully no one will try to follow you."

            "Damn it Touya!" Rei stood up.  "I am not going to run like a coward just because I have suddenly changed species!  This is the only world I've ever known.  My family is buried on this island, my friends are on this island—"

            "But you can't see them," he pointed out.

            "You think I haven't realized that?" She was yelling now.  "How do you think it feels to know that you'll have to live not just the rest of your life as an outcast, but _live forever_ being feared and hated by the people you love?  You have no idea what I'm going through!  And Mother help you if you can't even find a shred of compassion for me!"

            When she was finished with her tirade, Touya reached out and held her close.  "I _am_ sorry, Rei," he whispered, breathing in the scent of her hair.

            She wanted to yell at him again.  Why was he finally being so kind and gentle to her now?  When it was forbidden?

            "Because I've already taken a chance in letting you come here," he answered, reading her thoughts.  "I may as well go all the way."

            "You mean…?" Rei blinked.  Was he admitting he felt the same way about her as she did about him?

            He kissed the top of her head in response.  "Not quite.  You're just a little too young for me."

            She blushed and wanted to step away, but his arms still held her tight.  Slowly he tilted her face up to see him.  "If you're going to stay on the island, you'll need a place to stay."  He released her and went to his room.  When he returned, he handed her a check.

            "Three thousand dollars?" Rei cried.  "Touya, I can't take this…"

            "Take it," he said.  "I can't promise that I won't try to find you if Clef or one of the other Specialists orders me to.  But I want you to at least be safe from Shinigami.  Find an apartment in the inner city, and get a low profile job.  Stay out of the East and West Ends."

            She shook her head.  "I'll stay out of the West End, that much I'll do.  But the East End, no way.  I'm going to find that bastard and make him pay for doing this to me.  For making me into this monster."

            Touya touched her cheek.  "Do what you have to, Rei.  But promise me you'll be careful, and that you won't do anything stupid."

            "When have I ever done anything stupid?" she asked indignantly.

            He smirked.  "You went clubbing in the East End."

            She whacked his shoulder.  "Low blow.  But okay, I promise."

            "Good.  Get some sleep.  I want you gone in the morning," Touya said, handing her a blanket and a pillow from his closet.  She spread out on the couch and stared at him through the flickering candlelight, memorizing his face.  She didn't realize he was doing the same, even after she fell asleep.  Once she had, he knelt down next to her and kissed her lips, then went to bed.

            When he woke up in the morning, she was gone.


	3. Episode 2

Still owning nothing.  Erm…wait.  I guess I own the island of Antioch since I made that up.  Huh.  So I have my own island.  But I don't own anything else.

_Prologue:  4:00 AM, the West End_

            Hikaru, Demon of Despair, watched in silence as the raven-haired young woman made her way down the dark, wet streets.  The rain had stopped about an hour or two ago, but the sun was far from rising and the temperatures were cold.  It would be a while before the streets and sidewalks were dry again.  Her red eyes watched as the girl paused to look sadly back at the townhouse she had left.  Absentmindedly, she grabbed the end of her rose pink braid and began to twist it in her hands.

            "Aw…poor baby.  The little misfit, all alone in the world," a sarcastic voice remarked.  She turned to see a pair of tall women standing a few feet to her right.  The first was dressed in a red and black jumpsuit that complemented both her spiky silver hair and catlike golden eyes.  The second woman wore a loose, gauzy light blue dress that left nothing to the imagination.  She was a little younger than the first woman, but older than Hikaru, with extremely long blond hair and glittering blue eyes emphasized by dark forked brows.

            "Ryoko…Dorothy…" she murmured to her sisters, then looked back to the running woman.

            Ryoko rolled her eyes.  "For the Demon of Despair, you are _way_ too soft, Hikaru."

            "Oh, leave her alone Ryoko," Dorothy smiled.  "You should give the people of this world a little more credit.  They _do_ have their uses…"

            "Whore," a muttering voice said from behind them.  The girls turned to see a young man with a tight black ponytail and onyx eyes leaning against the wall.  He was dressed in white pants and a long white jacket, and a katana hung at his side.

            Dorothy's look of seduction grew.  She vanished and reappeared next to her brother.  "Oh Wufei…you can't say I didn't do the world a favor…" she whispered hotly in his ear, reaching inside his jacket and slowly rubbing his chest.  Purring softly, she pressed her lips against his neck before he shoved her to the ground and pointed his katana at her throat.

            "Do not touch me, woman.  I have no patience for you today," he snarled.

            His sister pouted.  "Fine.  Maybe Lantis will be willing."

            "Don't count on it," the man in question answered.  The Demon of War was the second oldest, preceded in strength and power only by Ryoko.  His hair was as black as Wufei's, but worn short and loose in his face, masking his midnight blue eyes.  He wore black battle armor and had a large sword slung across his back.

            "Please?" Dorothy asked, reaching up and playing with his hair.  Hikaru couldn't help but notice the Demon of Lust was being exceptionally aggressive this morning.  She wondered how long it had been since she had assumed a body of flesh and been able to find another being to share a bed with.

            The two brothers looked at each other, then both pointed their blades at her.  She giggled, then suddenly vanished, only to reappear with her arms draped around Lantis's neck.  She nibbled his ear playfully, and he too shoved her to the ground.

            "I don't have time for this," he muttered, then vanished into thin air.

            Wufei glared at Dorothy.  "I have said this for the past three millennia:  you make me sick and ashamed to be your brother."  He too then vanished.

            Dorothy shrugged and stood up.  "You know, I was only just messing with them.  It's amusing to see their reactions."

            "I don't doubt it," Ryoko agreed.  "After all, you tired of them about two thousand years ago."

            "Yes, they got very predictable," Dorothy smiled mischievously, then vanished.

            Ryoko shook her head, then looked at Hikaru.  "Pray you never feel lust, Hikaru.  The last thing we need is another Dorothy."  And she too was gone.

            So Hikaru was left alone to stare out at the empty street.  The raven-haired girl had vanished during the conversation between the siblings, and she had not seen where she had gone.  Hikaru sighed.  She had watched as the beautiful young Fire Witch had been taken by the vampire who called himself Shinigami and made into…something.  Something whose creation was never meant to be.  In a strange way, she felt connected to the girl.  For Hikaru too, was never meant to be.  None of the demons were.  Earth Mother loathed them all, and taught her children to hate them as well.

            "It isn't fair," Hikaru murmured.

            She felt a hand on her shoulder.  "I know it isn't, Hikaru-chan."  A soft voice replied.  Hikaru turned to see a short woman with long spiky red hair and bright green eyes.

            "Mother…" she murmured.  Shortly after the birth of the Vampires, Washu the Mother of Demons had been banished from Earth.  But Washu was strong, and could send her spirit to the planet in order to watch over her children.  However, she had only told Hikaru this, and only kept contact with her youngest daughter.  Neither Ryoko, Lantis, Wufei, nor Dorothy knew that little Hikaru had the power to speak with their mother.

            "You're worried about her, aren't you?  The witch?" Washu asked.

            Hikaru nodded.  "Ryoko thinks I'm weak for sympathizing with her."

            Washu shook her head.  "No, Hikaru.  Compassion is never a weakness.  But lack of it is.  Why else do you think Earth Mother had to drive me from this world?  She was weak and feared my power, and she had no compassion for any of us that she were not part of her "vision".  So I was banished.  Do not let Ryoko do the same to you."

            "I am afraid of her.  Of all of them," Hikaru admitted.

            Washu laughed and patted her head.  "Then you are wise as well.  Don't worry about it Hikaru.  Despite what they may think, they cannot hurt you.  It won't stop them from trying though."

            Hikaru smiled slightly.  All her life, she had always felt so close to her mother.  The despair that filled her always went away when she was in the presence of Washu's love.  She couldn't understand how Earth Mother could have driven someone so good and loving as Washu from the planet, except for that she was indeed afraid of her mother's power.

            "I understand," Hikaru answered.  "I suppose I'll just keep on doing what I have been doing.  Avoiding all of them at all costs."

            Washu frowned, then shrugged.  "I guess that's all right for now.  But Hikaru," her tone became serious as she looked her daughter in the eye.  "There will come a day when you will have to stand up to them.  You.  No one else."

            She swallowed hard.  She hoped that day would not come for a very, _very_ long time.

            "Also, be aware," Washu said, looking around.  "Earth Mother walks."

            Hikaru blinked in surprise.  "What?"

            "She is pretending to be a human or a witch, and is living amongst the people of this world.  Be very careful.  If she finds you or your siblings, she will do all she can to destroy you," she warned.

            "But," Hikaru reasoned "she can't do anything to us.  Not with you protecting us."

            Washu looked away and was silent for a long time.  "My power is fading, Hikaru-chan.  Even now, it has been difficult for me to send out my spirit to you.  I am afraid I am dying, Hikaru-chan, and I will no longer be able to protect you.  That is why you will have to stand up to Ryoko and the others and take control yourself.  You are the only one with the compassion and strength to forgive them and protect them."

            "Mother…" Hikaru whispered.  She shook her head and put her arms around her.

            Her mother returned the hug, then pulled away.  "I'm afraid I have to leave you now, Hikaru-chan.  Keep my love with you, and do not tell the others anything I have told you."

            She nodded.  "Yes Mother."

            Washu smiled at Hikaru, then like her children, vanished.

Episode 2:

The Effect

_Scene 1:  4:00 AM, the Kino's Apartment_

Syaoran awoke to the sound of the door opening.  Sitting up, he looked over to see a stoic Trowa and a pissed-off Makoto walk through the door.  The girl was speaking in a harsh whisper.

            "The fucking leech was right there in front of me!  I almost had him Trowa!  I got a knife in his shoulder!" she hissed.

            "Sh…you'll wake the others," he whispered.

            "I'm awake," Syaoran murmured, sliding off the couch and walking over to them.  "You two okay?"

            Trowa nodded.  "Yes.  You and Sakura have any trouble?"

            "No.  Mako, what are you talking about?  You got a knife in who?" he asked.

            "Shinigami," she answered bitterly.  "Ferio and I caught him feeding.  We came so close!"

            Syaoran blinked.  "Are you serious?  You almost got Shinigami?"

            "'Almost' being the key word," Mako snapped.  "And now I am shit, so I am going to go to bed and turn on Lifetime until I feel better.  Good night…er, morning.  Whatever."

            With those sentiments, she marched off to her room and locked the door.  Syaoran looked at Trowa.  "Did she forget she has school in four hours?"

            "Would you like to remind her?" he asked.

            Syaoran smiled cynically.  "You going to bed or should I make you some coffee or something?"

            "I'll make it myself.  You should get some more rest," Trowa answered.

            He shook his head.  "No, once I'm up, I'm up.  I'll sleep after school."

            "Suit yourself," Trowa set the coffee maker, then sat down at the counter.

            "Everyone else all right?" Syaoran asked.

            "Yes.  Haruka's in a good mood too; she managed to bring down a loner vamp near the old theater.  Ferio's just as mad as Mako though," Trowa explained.

            "You and Presea find anything?"

            "I didn't.  But Presea…" he trailed off.

            Syaoran's eyes shot up.  There was a close bond between the artist and himself.  He loved Presea like a mother, and worried about her nearly as much as he did Sakura.  Besides that, Syaoran was well aware that very few werewolves had lived to old age.  It was inconceivable yet quite probable that the older Presea got, the less chances she had to survive.  "What?"

            Trowa looked at him.  "Mako mentioned that the reason she and Ferio came so close to getting Shinigami was because he was feeding, right?"

            "Yeah…"

            "Presea says she saw the victim get up and walk away.  But before that, she threw a fireball at him."

            "A fireball?  Was she a witch?"

            "Had to be.  And she walked away.  Do the math."

            Syaoran closed his eyes and thought deeply.  Through experience, the pack had learned Shinigami never left his victims alive unless he was making them into a vampire.  And if the girl was a witch…

            His eyes flew open.  "You're saying he made a vampire out of a witch?"

            Trowa nodded.  "That's what it would appear to be."

            "Mother…" Syaoran murmured.  "How the hell do we handle that?  Witches are Earth Mother's servants too, but a vamp with witch abilities…"

            "Presea may have made a mistake," he suggested.

            Syaoran shook his head.  "I seriously doubt it.  She's got good eyes, you know that.  If she says she saw a witch turn vamp, I believe her."

            "Believe what you want," Trowa answered, pouring himself a cup of coffee.  He was silent a while, then spoke again.  "However, I _do _think we should look into this.  Even the possibility of a half witch, half vamp is dangerous.  Especially if she was made by Shinigami.  The members of his clan are particularly strong and also tend to kill more than other vampire.  What's worse is that if she decides to form her own clan, the members will carry on both the witch and vampire blood.  Meaning…"

            "There'd be two clans and only one pack of wolves to keep them down.  And both will be led by the most dangerous vampires this island has ever seen," Syaoran finished

            The two men stared at each other, then into their cups of coffee.  The younger spoke again.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?" Trowa asked.

"I'll find this girl.  This vamp-witch.  We've got to stop her before she and Shinigami wipe us out completely," Syaoran volunteered.  "Sakura can help too.  And Presea.  We can do this Trowa."

            "It'll be dangerous," he pointed out.

            He thought a moment, then shrugged.  "Maybe.  She's still at least part witch, right?  Ever since they were born, witches and werewolves have been allies.  Depending on how she feels about being a vamp, maybe we could actually use her against Shinigami.  If we try to talk with her…"

            "I don't mean _she's_ a danger," he cut off.  "You know Shinigami isn't going to let her go.  Go after this girl and you will undoubtedly cross his path.  Who knows?  Maybe she'll even help him against you.  But either way, it's Presea's choice whether to let you do this.  I know I'd advise against it.  And there's no way in hell I'm going to endanger Sakura."

            Syaoran narrowed his eyes.  "She's not a little girl, Trowa.  If you keep sheltering her like this she will never be able to protect herself."

            There was a flash of anger in the man's green eyes.  For the most part, Syaoran respected Trowa as the alpha male, and Trowa respected Syaoran as both Presea's adopted son and a promisingly useful member of the pack.  But there was one subject that always threatened to shatter that bonds of honor and respect between them:  Sakura.  Though Syaoran would never admit it to anyone including himself, he loved her more than life itself.  Trowa, as her brother, felt the same way.  And both were sure they understood her best.

            Trowa's calm, emotionless mask reappeared on his face, and he took another drink of coffee.  Syaoran stared at him a while longer, then grabbed the change of clothes Presea had dropped off the night before and vanished into the bathroom.  When he reemerged, fully dressed, he gathered his things and headed for the door.

            "Tell Sakura I'll meet her at school," he said, then left.

_Scene 2:  1:00 PM, Antioch Secondary School_

            The courtyard of the school was filled with students talking and enjoying their lunch.  Most of the trees had turned spectacular shades of red, orange, and gold, and several of the younger students kicked the fallen leaves around in an attempt to pass the time until the bell rang.

            Sitting beneath one of the trees, a boy and a girl sat in silence eating their lunch.  The girl, Meiling Rae, was glaring angrily across the courtyard at Sakura, who was currently talking and laughing with a blue haired girl whose name slipped her mind.  Narrowing her red-orange eyes, she absentmindedly cracked her knuckles.  If it weren't for the fact she was only a Novice, she would've broken Sakura's neck two years ago when she had taken Syaoran from her.  Taken him and turned him into a monster like her.  Oh, she knew that she was supposed to be all nice and friendly with all races, werewolves included,  and she usually was.  But not to Sakura.  Sakura did not deserve to be treated kindly after what she did.

            Her companion raised an eyebrow beneath his shaggy brown bangs and edged away from her slightly.  Ascot too was a Novice studying at the Temple of the Earth, but while Meiling was fourteen, he was only thirteen, and was intimidated and awed by the witch with the Physical Gift.  Although she was inconsistent in her skills (she was only a Novice after all), he envied her superhuman strength and speed that Earth Mother had granted her.  Though he had been taught from an early age to be thankful for the Gift he was given, being an Earth Witch was boring despite the Gift's versatility.  Assuming he ever became a Specialist, he would not only be able to cause earthquakes and control rock, he would have power over the Earth and the very seasons themselves.  Earth Witches were rare, and usually grew to be very powerful.  But Ascot was yet to acquire the confidence necessary to wield his abilities in such a way that he would be promoted to Adept.

            "I wonder where Syaoran is?" Meiling mused, taking a drink from her water bottle.  "I thought he trailed her everywhere."

            "Who?" Ascot asked, his mind still elsewhere.  It jerked back suddenly when he saw the anger visible on Meiling's face as she glared at Sakura.

            "_Her_.  I refuse to speak her name," she snapped.

            He jerked his head back.  "Sorry, sorry.  I wasn't thinking.  Um…let's see…I think I heard Syaoran say he was going to be studying in the library during lunch."

            "Library?  Are you sure?" she asked.

            "I…I think so," Ascot stammered.

            Meiling stood up and grabbed his wrist.  "Well come on then!  We've only got about fifteen minutes left!"

            Sure enough, the two found Syaoran in the library, poring over a thick book and scribbling down things in a notebook.

            "Go stand over by the door or something," Meiling ordered Ascot.  He shrugged, then wandered over to the computers and started a game of Solitaire.  Meanwhile, Meiling walked over and sat down across the table from Syaoran.

            "Hi," she said.

            His head shot up.  "Meiling!  I was looking for you!"

            She raised an eyebrow and brushed one of her black ponytails over her shoulder.  "You weren't looking very hard."

            "I meant when I'm finished here," his face was serious as he spoke the words she'd longed for him to say.  "I need your help."

            Meiling smiled.  "Sick of being a were already Syaoran?"

            He put a hand over her mouth and looked around.  "What the hell are you thinking?  You know it's dangerous to reveal what we are around all these humans!" he hissed.

            She shook her head.  "I'm sorry.  I don't know what came over me.  Please, forgive me."

            Syaoran sighed.  "Yeah, you're forgiven.  But listen to me, I really do need your help.  Does anyone in your coven keep in contact with unclean witches?"

            "Of course not," she answered matter-of-factly.  "It's forbidden."

            "I know.  But still…do you even have any information on who the unclean witches are?"

            She shrugged.  "I guess Master Clef might.  But if he did, he wouldn't show anyone other than the Specialists.  Definitely not a novice," she paused.  "What's going on?"

            Syaoran looked around again, then leaned his face towards Meiling's.  "I will only talk about this because you're my cousin and because you're the only witch I can trust."

            "Gee, thanks," she muttered.  He ignored it.

            "Listen.  Last night, the senior members of the pack went on a hunt.  Two of them came this close to killing Shinigami when they caught him at the train station on Goethe Avenue," he held up two fingers pressed together to show her.  "And Presea, the one who took me in, said she saw him feeding on a witch.  But he didn't kill her.  She got up, shot a fireball at him, then ran away.  We're not—Meiling?"

            He stared at her.  His cousin had gone deathly pale and her hands were shaking violently.

            "Meiling?" he asked again.  "What is it?"

            She took a few deep breaths then moaned, closing her eyes and putting her face in her hands.  "Last night, Usagi, Mina, Umi, and Rei went to the East End to go clubbing.  When they were at the train station coming back, a vampire attacked them.  They almost escaped, but he caught Rei and before they could save her, a train came between the platforms.  After it passed, both the vampire and Rei were gone," she explained.  The three witches had come home late the night before, tears streaming down their faces as they told the same tale she had.  And now, it seemed, they knew of what became of their missing comrade.

            Syaoran put his arms around her.  "Oh Mei…I'm sorry," he whispered.  When his mother had died he had only been seven years old and alone in the world (he didn't know his father).  Meiling's coven had allowed him to live at the Temple as an act of charity, and he had lived there until a year ago, when he became a werewolf and been adopted by Presea.  He had known several witches, including Rei.  A Fire Witch with a cool demeanor and a fiery temper, she was envied by the younger members of the coven for both her human traits and her extensive power.

            Meiling wanted him to keep holding her and to keep comforting her, but at that moment the bell rang.  Ascot appeared from nowhere and stared at the two.  He too was aware of Syaoran's status as both a werewolf and Meiling's cousin, but he knew he had to act on behalf of the coven.

            "Come on Meiling," he said, staring apologetically at both her and Syaoran.  "We're going to be late."

            Syaoran touched his shoulder.  "Ascot," he said.  "Take her back to the temple right away after school.  Tell Clef that a member of our pack will be paying a visit at some point during the weekend.  If he asks what it's about, just say that it's very important that he _not_ continue searching for Rei Hino."

            Ascot blinked.  "Rei?  What…?"

            "Go," he said gently.  "You're going to be late for class."

            The boy nodded, took Meiling's hand and led her from the library.  Syaoran's eyes were on them the whole time.

_Scene 3:  10:00 PM, The East End Breakwater_

            "You what?" Heero asked.

            Duo smiled and leaned back against the concrete barrier dividing the breakwater.  The waves were small and sleepy tonight, occasionally sending up the finest salty spray every few minutes.  But it was never more than enough to moisten the face of the three vampires sitting on the edge of the concrete.

            "She reminds me of our lovely Firefly," he remarked, putting an arm around Hotaru's shoulders.  She made no move, either to shrug it off or settle beneath it.  "Black hair, purple eyes, a gorgeous body, lots of fire…am I making you jealous?"

            "Do you think I would waste our time with such an emotion?" she asked quietly.

            He pouted.  "You mean I mean nothing to you?"

            She said nothing again and picked up a small chunk of concrete and threw it into the water

            "Do you realize how dangerous it was to make a witch into one of us?  You should've turned a dog for all it's worth," Heero muttered.

            Duo barked out a cynical laugh.  "Sorry mate.  But the wolf bitches don't do anything for me except try to shove a blade or two in my chest."

            "And a girl who tries to burn you alive is far better," Hotaru replied.

            "Ha!  I knew you were jealous Hotaru-chan!" he grinned.  "Don't worry.  When it all comes down to it, I like you best."

            Heero grunted.

            "You too, Heero."

            "I don't give a damn who you like best.  Your recklessness is going to kill you someday," he warned.  "And from what you said, the witch isn't very happy about becoming one of us."

            "No…but then again you didn't like it much when I turned you either.  Actually, nobody did.  Except Nakuru.  That whore," he snorted.  "_That_ was a mistake, but she's not a danger to us."

            "Nakuru isn't the most powerful Fire Witch on the island," Hotaru pointed out.  "By turning her, Duo-kun, you've given her the means to destroy you."

            "The rest of us too, probably.  If we were smart, we'd get off this island before she figures out what she's capable of," Heero commented.

            Duo turned away so they wouldn't see his face turn an even paler shade of white.  In truth, he really didn't care what happened to the rest of his clan.  But life without Heero and Hotaru…his shadow and his firefly…

            "Of course, we won't," Hotaru answered.  "We've lived on this island since it was built centuries ago.  We're not about to leave now."

            Duo stood up and put his arm around her shoulder again.  "Thank you, Hotaru-chan," he said, kissing her cheek softly.  Her skin was cool and smooth, even more so than it was when he turned her that night when he saw her in the garden behind her house, staring in awe at the brightness and fullness of the moon.  He'd been a young vampire then, only having turned one other:  Heero, two hundred years before and only days after he'd experience his own transformation.  Unable to resist the dark beauty, he'd taken her and turned her without a thought.  It was years after that his affection for her had grown and flourished into something immortal and invincible.

            After Hotaru he had accidentally turned the lovely street woman Nakuru and allowed her into his clan out of pity.  The number had remained at four for years until a boy named Eriol came to him and demanded that he be made a vampire.  Surprised at his forwardness and knowledge of the race, Duo had granted his wish.  Then a year ago, he had come across a quiet young girl who had refused to die after he fed from her.  He respected her strength and resilience and rewarded her by making her into a vampire and brought her into the clan.  And eventually, he would find the wayward Rei and she too would join them.

            "We do not want her, Duo," Heero said softly, bringing the leader out of his memories.

            "What?"

            "We do not want this witch to join us," Hotaru elaborated.  "Despite the fact that you turned her, she is not like us.  The strength she has from being a witch preserves her power even now.  If you  bring her into this clan, she could turn against us at any time and destroy us all."

            "She won't!" Duo persisted.     

            "Duo," Heero continued.  "None love you or respect you more than Hotaru and myself.  You know that."

            "Still…"

            "We are thinking of _you_ Duo!" Hotaru exclaimed.  "In your heart, you know that if you come within a mile of the girl, she will incinerate you and throw the ashes into the ocean, and you will be lost to us forever!  You know the curse.  Earth Mother's damnation…"

            "There is no curse, and Rei will not hurt me!" Duo yelled.  His fists clenched.  "I won't let her."

            "Would you kill her if that was the only way?" Heero asked.

            Duo glared at them both.  "I don't know."

            And with that, he stormed away down the breakwater.

_Scene 4:  The Next Day, the Makibi's house_

            "So tell me again how a bird's digestive system works," Sakura said as she sat at Sasami's kitchen table, flipping through the pages of the biology book.

            "I'd really rather not while I'm preparing the chicken," Sasami replied as she poured a delicious looking garlic sauce over the two chicken breasts in the pan.

            Sakura laughed then closed the book.  "I guess that's enough for now anyways.  I don't know Sasami.  You seem to know it all.  How'd you fail test?"

            "Easy.  I got a quarter of the questions wrong and wrote five sentences for the essay," she answered.

            "Hm…maybe it's your nerves?" Sakura suggested.

            Sasami shrugged, then put the chicken breasts in the oven and started taking vegetables out of the refrigerator.  "That's possible.  I haven't been sleeping well lately either."

            "Any idea why?" she asked, wandering over and grabbing a baby carrot.  Sasami instantly grabbed it back.

            "I need that," she snapped, then started washing the vegetables.

            "Huh.  Lack of sleep's making you crabby too I see," Sakura observed with a smile.

            Sasami laughed.  "Yeah, you're right.  Sorry.  It's just…"

            "What?" her friend asked.

            She looked over and studied Sakura's face closely.  "If I tell you, will you keep it a secret?  I didn't even tell Aunt Kiyone about it."

            "I guess, yeah."

            "'I guess' isn't good enough Sakura," Sasami said.  "Promise you won't say anything."

            Sakura frowned.  "Sasami…what's this about?"

            "Promise," she repeated.

            The redhead sighed.  "Okay, I promise I will not tell another living soul this secret, whatever it is."  She leaned back against the wall and kept her eyes on Sasami.  "That'll have to do."

            "All right," she answered, then started to chop the vegetables.  "When I was walking home from school a while ago, this guy started following me."

            "What?" Sakura blinked.

            "Don't worry, it wasn't an old creepy guy or anything.  He was about my age, maybe closer to yours.  Kind of cute, actually.  And he didn't ever do anything threatening.  Never even talked to me.  He just followed me.  I guess he didn't care if I saw him, because every time I turned around he was just there, not hiding or anything."

            "Has he followed you since then?" she asked.

            Sasami nodded.  "Yes.  Every day since.  Sometimes I even see him when I go grocery shopping or to the library."

            "Sasami!  Why haven't you told anyone?  This guy could be a stalker, or a rapist, or a serial killer for all you know!" Sakura cried.

            "Then why hasn't he come after me by now?  I've been in isolated places with him before, and he's never done anything to me," she answered calmly, then looked up.  "Remember Sakura…you promised…"

            "If it meant keeping you safe Sasami, I'd gladly break that promise," Sakura said.

            "Sakura!" Sasami looked desperately at her.  "Sakura, you can't.  If you do, he might go away."

            "Uh…duh!" she snapped.  "That's kinda the point!"

            "But I don't want to get rid of him," Sasami exclaimed.

            Sakura looked at her like she had just grown a second head.

            "I don't know what it is…" she went on.  "I feel…protected.  Like he's watching over me.  If he goes away…I don't know what'll happen."

            Her friend bit her lip, unsure of what to do or say next.  "…What does this guy look like?"

            "Like I said, about our age.  He's got black hair, and he wears it in a ponytail.  I'm not really sure what color his eyes are, but he's got glasses.  I've always seen him in black and blue clothes too," she described.

            Sakura's teeth drew blood from her lips.  The description matched a vampire in Duo's clan.  She wasn't sure of his name, but she and Syaoran had fought him a few times.  He was a good fighter, wielding a saber similar to Haruka's,  but made out of pure silver.  Even a scratch from the blade would make the strongest were deathly sick due to the poisoning effect silver had on were blood.

            "Listen Sasami…I think I know who you're talking about…" she said.

            Sasami's eyes brightened.  "Really?  How old is he?  Is he nice?  Where does he live?"

            "I'm uh…not really sure…I don't know him that well…" she stalled.  There was no way she could tell Sasami her follower was a vampire.  She hadn't even told her that she was a werewolf.  Sasami was human, and therefore totally oblivious to the existence of vamps and weres beyond horror movies and gothic novels, and the concept of witches frightened and confused her.

            "But I do know that he's not a good guy like you think," Sakura pointed out.  "From what I've heard, he's done some pretty bad stuff.  Murder, rape, all that stuff I said before…"

            It wasn't exactly a lie.  Vampires _did_ murder, and many of them _did_ rape their victims.  She wasn't entirely sure Sasami's vamp committed the latter, but in order to survive he'd have had to kill his victims. And if not, if he had made them all vampires, well then that was just as bad as rape and murder combined.

            "And some people say Meiling Rae is a witch," Sasami rolled her eyes.  "Come on Sakura.  You know we both refuse to judge people by rumor."

            "This is the exception to the rule," Sakura pressed.  "Sasami, if our friendship means anything to you, trust me on this."

            Sasami pressed her lips together.  "I'll make you a deal.  If you promise not to tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_ about this, I promise I will avoid this guy at all costs."

            "And if you see him again," Sakura added.  "You'll tell me."

            She thought about it, then nodded.  "You.  _Only_ you.

            "Okay then.  I promise," Sakura replied.

            "I promise too," Sasami answered.  The two girls shook on it.

_Scene 4:  8:00 PM, The SIC office_

            "Hey guys, I'm back!" Tenchi Masaki smiled as he walked into the office with two plastic bags of Chinese food.

            "Yay!  I'm starving!" Mihoshi Winner leapt up from her desk and crossed the room in three strides, and peering excitedly into the bags.

            Her twin brother Quatre looked up from his computer.  "Mihoshi relax!" he laughed, standing up.  He passed Ami Mizuno's desk, where both she and Kiyone Makibi were staring at Ami's laptop screen.

            "Come on you two.  Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

            Kiyone and Ami raised their heads simultaneously.  "Hungry?"

            Tenchi waved at them, brown eyes laughing.  "Jeez, if it takes you this long to notice my coming back, how long if I'd have gone missing?"

            Ami blushed and shoved a strand of dark blue hair behind her ear.  "Sorry Tenchi.  We were just becoming so exceptionally engrossed in this DNA data analysis Kiyone located in the archives and…"

            "Ami-chan please!" Mihoshi whined.  "I don't know what you're saying!"

            Kiyone rolled her eyes and put a hand to her forehead.  Quatre laughed slightly and lowered it for her.  "Come on.  You need a break," he said kindly.

            She shrugged.  "Maybe."

            He smiled and passed her a carton of beef chow mein.  The physical resemblances between Quatre and Mihoshi were remarkable.  Both had platinum blond hair and large blue eyes.  But Mihoshi was taller and tanner due to the time she frequently spent out in the sun.  Quatre was Kiyone's height and had bangs that fell in front of his eyes, and was much quieter and more innocent and childlike than his sister.  Mihoshi was enthusiastic and outgoing, though quite flighty most of the time and on occasions seemed to have lost anything remotely resembling human intelligence.  But both were kind and affectionate, and you couldn't help but love either of them.

            Tenchi threw an egg roll on a napkin and sat down in front of his computer.  The newest member of the SIC was a friendly young man with a spiky black ponytail and a friendly demeanor.  He was easygoing overall, but just as dedicated to his work as any of his coworkers.  It was also a signature trait that he could stay perfectly calm even when under the worst pressures of his career, a reassuring thought for the rest of the team.

            Ami was the youngest member of the team, but had served for longer than any of them excluding Kiyone.  A child prodigy, she had graduated college at sixteen and had started working with the Global Investigation Network the year after. When the Antioch SIC had been formed four years ago, Ami had been hand picked from the mainland-based SIC to work on her native island with the other four members.  She was pretty enough, with her hair cut short and her eyes as blue as Mihoshi and Quatre's, but it was no secret that she loved her job more than anything else.

            Kiyone was the leader of the group, both officially and unofficially.  A former investigator working on the island's police force, she had been chosen for her flawless records and sober personality.  Even more than Ami, she was a workaholic.  Which discouraged the few men whose hearts and eyes had been captured by the teal tressed and aqua-eyed woman.  But that didn't bother Kiyone as much as the guilt that she was the only one of the team that had a child to think about.  Her sister and brother and law had both died mysteriously prior to the SIC's formation, leaving their then seven-year-old daughter Sasami in her care.  It bothered her that she couldn't always be there for the niece she loved so much, but Sasami seemed to understand and didn't resent her at all for it.

            The five individuals were all different, but all worked together as a part of Antioch's Supernatural Investigation Committee.  When questionable cases arose on the island, they were the ones to check it out.  Meaning they were fully aware of the existence of vampires, werewolves, witches, and demons.  However, the cases were kept confidential, and it was imperative that no one ever truly found out about them.  Kiyone was head of the committee, in charge of reporting the status of the cases and delegating the other members and herself in investigation.  Second in command was Mihoshi, who handled the research gathering and was also the unofficial getaway chauffer (the joke was that no one else could drive like her without getting themselves killed).  Her brother Quatre was an intelligence and tracking specialist, which translated into a scout and spy.  He was also a good negotiator and communicator, and was frequently the one to speak with members of the other races.  Tenchi was the equipment and weaponry technician.  When fighting was necessary, he was usually the one to handle it, but also worked on developing and repairing weapons and working on the committee vehicles when necessary.  Ami, the computer expert, was a hacker and also shared Mihoshi's duties as a research analyst.  Most of her time was spent in the office, but that didn't bother the timid girl very much.

            The members of the SIC all got along well.  It was a necessity, since without cooperation and communication someone was likely to get killed.  The Antioch team had remained intact through the years, but everyone knew the horror stories of mainland investigations and negotiations gone wrong.  Basic training had taught them all that the other races should be neither trusted nor feared.  But the werewolf pack and vampire clan and witch coven were different on Antioch.  They were fewer in numbers, but greater in power.  Every member of the SIC had dealt with packs, clans, and covens on the mainland, and none of them had come across any like the ones on the island.  Ami, Kiyone, and Tenchi, who had all been raised on Antioch, thought so more than anyone else. 

            "So," Kiyone began, tossing her meal carton in the trash and returning to her own computer.  "Now that we're all here…and fed… I can bring up this new scenario I received from James Carigan from the Antioch Police Department."

            Plugging her computer into a hologram projector, she typed on her keyboard quickly and brought up the image of the Goethe Avenue train station.

            "This is a station on Goethe Ave at approximately 10:25 PM on Thursday evening, September fifth," she typed a little more.  The image of four young women walking onto a platform played.

            "These four women were seen at Lucifer's from 9:00 PM to 10:05 PM.   They were assumed to be either humans or witches waiting for the 10:30 train to Amaryllis Street in the West End," she explained.  The image changed as the girls sat down at a bench and a tall man with a long braid walked onto the platform.

            "10:26 PM.  The vampire known as Duo Maxwell, aka "Shinigami", arrives at the train station."  The scene played on as Kiyone narrated.  "He approached the women and started to speak to the girl second from the left.  She grew angry at his remarks and as you can see, was about to attack him using fire, marking her as a witch.  However, the girls to her right stopped her from harming him.  Seeing his opportunity, Maxwell attacked the girl to the far right and shoved her onto the tracks.  The Fire Witch then attacked him, but he dodged and went for an illusion generated by the girl on the far left, whom we can conclude is an Illusion Witch.  While Maxwell went after more illusions, the three remaining girls helped the injured one onto the far platform.  At that point, Maxwell got through and assaulted the Fire Witch.  And before her companions could help her, the 10:30 train sped between them."

            Kiyone paused.  "Everyone with me?"  They nodded.  "Okay, here's where it gets interesting."  She rotated the view of the hologram so that the side with Maxwell and the Fire Witch was visible.  "Going against our past beliefs that a vampire will not feed from a witch or werewolf, Maxwell subdues the Fire Witch and drinks her blood.  Going even farther, we see him offer _his_ blood to _her_, the ritual for creating a new vampire."

            "Wait…is that even possible?" Quatre blinked.

            "Keep watching," Kiyone said as the scene progressed.  "At this point, two werewolves suddenly arrive and attack Maxwell.  They disregard the Fire Witch, and she is able to get to her feet.  She then attacks Maxwell and yells what we can assume is a threat of revenge or anger before fleeing the scene.  Maxwell and the werewolves struggle for a few minutes, before he breaks and runs with them in pursuit.  The three leave the station and disappear."

            The other four members of her team stared in disbelief as the hologram vanished.  She took a drink of water from the dispenser next to the closet door, then turned to them again.

            "Without knowing the identities of the witches, it would be difficult to trace them.  But we can assume that all four women _are_ witches, considering that most humans are deathly afraid of them and it is unlikely that two humans would be spending time with two witches.  Also, we have our contact within Duo Maxwell's clan, whom I intend to speak with tomorrow.  Quatre, your help would be appreciated."

            "I…yes, of course," he answered.

            "Mihoshi, I'd like you to get in contact with the Temple of the Earth.  The head is called Master Clef, and is fairly reliable with his information.  Ami, I'd like you to also gather a list of all the unclean witches living on Antioch complete with names, phone numbers, and addresses.  Can you have them to me by Monday?"

            She nodded.  "Yes, it won't be difficult."

            "Thank you.  And Tenchi, I'd like you to run some scenarios into your computer.  If this witch has become a vampire, we need to know of her capabilities.  I'd like to have a basic report by Monday if that's possible."

            "I'll do my best," he replied.

            "Okay you guys.  We should get as much work as we can done tonight, and I know I'm coming in early tomorrow morning.  I'd suggest you do the same," Kiyone paused.  "We're dealing with something totally new and unknown everybody.  To us, to the island, and the whole world for that matter.  Let's keep that in mind, okay?"  
            Still dazed, everyone nodded in agreement.

_Epilogue:  9:00 PM, Tanners in the South End_

Rei sat at a table halfheartedly nibbling at a wilting salad.  She had spent the day searching for an apartment, but to no avail.  There had been a room available in a little hotel on the outskirts of the city, and she had spent the last twenty minutes sitting in the hotel restaurant feeling scared, furious, and depressed.  More than anything, she wanted to go back to the Temple just to explain what happened so that no one would worry.  But there was no way she could.

            She could faintly feel thirst creeping into her, but she had sworn not to hunt until she absolutely needed to.  The weight of the deaths last night and the night before was adding up and crushing her.  It would only be so long until it drove her mad, making her into the monster she was all the more.

            The waitress walked by and she ordered another cup of tea.  She nodded and took the white china mug from her then disappeared into the kitchen.  Rei looked around boredly.  The restaurant was empty save for the waitress, herself, and a cook she heard somewhere in the kitchen.  When she had spoken to the front desk clerk, he had explained to her that the restaurant was open all night for coffee, tea, and light snacks.  Rather than go to bed, maybe she'd just hang around there all evening.

            The tea appeared as if by magic on the table, and the waitress returned to the counter and resumed reading her magazine.  Sipping slowly, Rei stared out the window and saw a shadowy figure walk across the parking lot.  Stepping into the light, the shadows melted away revealing a pretty woman some ten years older than herself.  Her hair was bright red and felt to her mid-back, little strands blowing across her face with the autumn night breeze.  She wore a tan trenchcoat, dark brown tights, and black ankle boots.  The fluorescent light made her ruby red eyes glitter and contrast with the pale skin of her face.

            Shoving the magazine aside, the waitress walked over to the woman and led her to the booth about three feet from Rei's table.  The woman thanked her and asked for coffee, and the waitress disappeared.  Keeping her head low as she picked at her salad, Rei could feel the woman's eyes boring into her.  Stubborn as ever, she refused to meet her gaze.

            When the waitress returned with the coffee, the woman thanked her again and said that was all.  In the tomblike silence of the restaurant, Rei could hear her quietly sipping the coffee and setting the mug back down on the table.

            "Rather quiet in here," the woman remarked.  Her tone made it seem as though she wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, but Rei could feel she was the one being addressed.  Out of curiosity more than submission, she raised her head and looked up.

            "Yes…must not get much business at night," she agreed.

            The woman smiled.  "It's considerate of them though.  Keeping this place operational all night."

            Rei nodded in agreement, then took another drink of tea.  "Is this your first time here?"

            "Here as in this hotel or here as in Antioch?" the woman asked.

            "Either," she answered.

            "This is the first time I've ever stayed in this hotel, but I visit the island quite frequently.  I had a friend with an apartment on the West End, but she moved to the mainland this past summer," she explained.

            "I see…" Rei murmured.

            The woman smiled again.  "My name's Kaho.  Kaho Mitsuki."

            Rei paused before introducing herself.  No doubt there would be people looking for her.  And this Kaho had mentioned the West End.  Was she a witch?  Rei tried to feel the strong aura revealing a witch's identity.  There was none.  No, Kaho was just a normal human.

            "Rei Hino," she said, standing up and shaking her hand.

            "Would you care to join me?" Kaho asked, motioning to the bench across from her.

            "Thank you," Rei accepted, sitting down.  "So…what's your business here on the island?"

            "No business.  I just enjoy coming here.  It's quite relaxing," she explained.

            Rei blinked.  "But…two thirds of it is all city!  How can it be relaxing?"

            "Maybe relaxing isn't really the word," Kaho mused.  "It's just different from what I'm used to on the mainland."

            "Is that where you're from?" Rei asked.

            She shook her head.  "No, I was born here on Antioch.  But I've spent the greater part of my life on the mainland."

            "I see…" Rei repeated.

            "And yourself?" Kaho asked.

            Again, Rei hesitated, trying to think up a story.  "I've lived here my whole life.  But my parents died a few years ago, and I've been living with my boyfriend ever since."

            "You look a little young to be living with a boyfriend," she commented.

            Rei's hand tightened around the handle of the cup.  "I know…but I didn't have anyone else to turn to.  He's the only one left who loves me, who's willing to take care of me."  She sighed, trying not to be too dramatic.  "But these past few months, things have just changed.  I guess we didn't love each other as much as we though.  So now I've moved out and I'm looking for a place of my own.  Of course, I'll need a job first…"

            "Hm…" Kaho put two fingers to her lips.  "You know…I've been thinking of taking up permanent residence on Antioch myself."

            "Really?" Rei asked.

            She nodded.  "Yes.  I've got money, and I was hoping to look for an apartment in the city, something temporary until I could get a house or a condo here in the South End.  If you wouldn't mind a roommate while you looked for a job…"

            "I…" she froze.  As much as she would've loved to accept Kaho's offer, there was no way she could.  Although they had just met, she already liked the woman, and did not want to risk her finding out about her status as a vampire.  Not to mention the fact that even now she was practically begging to be drained.

            But when would another opportunity like this come again?  The last thing Rei wanted was to end up homeless in the streets of Antioch.  Even a vampire was going to have trouble surviving that way.  And she was still determined to be more witch than vampire.  She refused to let her blind instincts take control of her better judgment.  And if worse came to worse, she could always just leave, right?  Take off running like she had done for Touya?

            "Wouldn't mind a roommate at all, Miss Mitsuki," Rei finished.

            Kaho grinned.  "Please, just Kaho."  She stood up, pulled some money out of her purse, and walked towards the counter to pay for her coffee.  "Well then, how about tomorrow we meet here at 8:00 AM for breakfast, then we can start looking for an apartment?"

            "It sounds wonderful," she answered.  "And you can call me Rei."

            "All right then, Rei.  I will see you in the morning."


End file.
